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An inspiration to Karwa Centenary Nursery and Primary School

28th Jun 2018

In 2015, Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland (GBNI) partnered with Fields of Life to mark their 125th Anniversary. GBNI committed to raising funds to build a school and provide an education to the children in Kisoro District.

In November 2016, a team of representatives from GBNI visited Karwa Centenary Nursery and Primary school, located in Chungo-Muhindura-Kanaba-Kisoro district in south western Uganda. The visit enabled the team to see and experience first-hand the struggles that the people of Kisoro face; in particular, women and young girls. Following their visit in 2016, a decision was made to support the construction of new school buildings for Karwa Centenary Nursery and Primary School, Kisoro District.

At the time of the GBNI visit, Bridget, who was 12 years old, was in Primary Six at Karwa Centenary Primary School. One year later, despite the difficulties she faced at home, Bridget emerged as the top pupil in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) for the year 2017.

This news spread across the Kisoro District like wild-fire. Bridget’s excellent performance was talked about by every one, not because she had emerged as the best candidate but because she had achieved much better results than the boys in her school. This challenged the traditional norms as cultural barriers often meant girls were not educated to the same level as boys. Bridget states, “My parents encouraged me not only to pray and study hard but also to believe in myself.” Her father, Eric, adds, “Bridget is our first born, I and my wife love her so much, the cultural belief that girls are inferior to boys is regrettable. Girls, just like boys, have a right to education.”

Bridget is now in Senior One at Brainstorm Secondary School in the neighbouring district of Kabale and hopes to continue her studies to become an accountant. She has become an inspiration to the pupils back at her school in Kisoro. It is our prayer that Bridget will continue to inspire those in her little village of Chungo, at Karwa Primary School and also in the district of Kisoro.

Now, with the newly constructed school funded by GBNI, the staff, parents and pupils (both boys and girls) at Karwa are optimistic that, like Bridget, they will excel in their education.